2001 Buick Lesabre I have changed the starter, battery and alternator. The car will not start. I turn the key and it does nothing, well I hear a clicking under the hood and under backseat. Lights on dash light up. Leaving key in on position and check engine light and battery light stays on. If the car sits for awhile starts up with no problem. However the car runs bad, sometimes no power when hitting the gas. Help!!??
Though you put in a new battery, did you clean the cable terminals of any corrosion.
The next step would be to check the opposite end of each cable. Be sure they are clean and tight.
When you find the far end of the negative cable, remove the bolt/nut, clean the area with a wire brush and reattach the cable. Rust could be keeping it from having a good connection.
Yosemite
1 Like
Once it is running, is the check engine light on?
I’d suspect a bad fuel pump but it is hard to determine from your description.
1 Like
Could be a fuel pump, but that wouldn’t explain the no-crank. OP has to solve the no crank first. The best bet is to have your shop measure the voltage at the starter motor during attempted cranking. If both terminals measure 10.5 volts or more (terminal to starter case) during attempted cranking and it doesn’t crank, replace the starter motor. Getting a faulty replacement starter isn’t an uncommon thing here. You might want to purchase an oel Chevy starter pay a little more, but the results should be better. Faulty starter installations can cause the starter to bind-up, but that’s pretty unusual. Likewise if the engine is seizing.
If either of the voltages above measures less than 10.5 volts, work towards the battery to find out why. Neutral safety switch, clutch start switch, starter relay, corroded connections (including grounds) are all possibilities for that.
1 Like
Yes the check engine light stays on. Battery light goes off once started. I was thinking fuel pump or catalytic converter! Thank you for the information!
Thanks everyone for the information!! I will continue working on it. Let y’all know if figure it out!
Have you checked the Buick for any DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes), sometimes called “fault codes”? When a Check Engine light is set the car should temporarily record and store fault codes that could help find the culprit.
Make some calls to local “chain store” auto parts stores (Advance, Auto Zone, etcetera) near you. Many (depending on state regulations) will have an employee step out into to parking area and check for DTCs for free.
They offer this service as way to make repeat customers and to sell more parts. Don’t buy more parts, just yet. Write down any and all codes exactly (They look like P0455, P0306, P1234, for example) and online you’ll find causes and possible solutions to problems.
Please note that a particular code or codes do not tell which specific part or parts is/are at fault, but rather which system needs further diagnosis. For instance, if one receives a code for “fuel pump” or some other code, that system (wiring, connectors, current flow) should be checked to determine whether or not that component needs to be replaced or just some wiring repair.
I’m sure you would agree that a proper diagnosis would be superior to the “replace parts until it’s fixed” program.
The other option is to find a shop that is very good at diagnosing car problems. Proper diagnosis is key to this problem. Sometimes spending a little for that can save lots of money over wrong guesses.
CSA
1 Like
Hmmm Your problem description covers more than one issue. You need to figure out why your starter is only clicking when you try to start the vehicle first and foremost. As others have already suggested, you must have good clean tight battery connections… BOTH connections Pos and Neg… This is important. You also need to have proper power levels.
Do this test… Either use a Jump Pack or a jump from another vehicle… Are you immediately able to operate the starter normally while you have a jump pack or a vehicle jump in place? If so, you are having a power and or batt connection issue, these two things are closely related actually.
After you sort out the starter issue, you can then move to solve other issues as what can be causing your starter to just click suggests poor connections or low power from the batt…again, the symptoms of both these things is nearly identical. If you have poor connections, that can cause your running poorly issue as well, so suss out the starter solenoid clicking FIRST.
2 Likes
OK so the codes are P0102, P0440 came up twice, P0758, & P0102
Did you do what the previous posters instructed about checking battery connectors? That is the first step. If that doesn’t solve the cranking issue, there are more steps to get you to where you need to be. The first step is to make sure you have full battery and a means to get proper battery voltage to where it is supposed to be and when it is supposed tobe there.
P0102 is maf sensor circuit, P0758 is second gear shift solenoid, P0440 is EVAP System. The first two affect performance, but none of them mean anything unless the battery is supplying constant voltage to the system.
1 Like